Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised the Varanasi Municipal Corporation’s mega plantation drive, which secured a place in the Guinness World Records, terming it historic and a shining example of public participation in environmental conservation.Surpassing China’s 2018 record of planting 1,53,98 saplings in an hour, people successfully established an ‘oxygen bank’ by planting over 2.51 lakh saplings in Feb to enter the Guinness Book for developing the first urban forest of Kashi and also the world’s largest Miyawaki forest zone in the Domari area on the opposite bank of the mythological ghats.Addressing the 132nd edition of his ‘Mann ki Baat’, the PM said, “Recently, an inspiring effort was witnessed in Varanasi, where more than 2.51 lakh saplings were planted in just one hour, creating a new Guinness World Record. The most remarkable aspect of this effort was that thousands of people came together for it. Students, soldiers, voluntary organisations, and various institutions — all joined hands to make this possible.“Modi said this kind of public participation is evident in the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ plantation drive, with crores of trees planted nationwide under it.
